Audio/video automated payment facility

ABSTRACT

A central monitoring station is linked to a plurality of remote terminals, such as payment terminals at a plurality of parking facilities. A two-way communication system enables communication between a customer who is remote from the central monitoring station and an attendant at the central monitoring station. The communication system may also allow the attendant to manipulate each remote terminal to collect data or troubleshoot or override the function of the terminal.

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/735,496, which was filed on Jan. 7, 2013 and issues as U.S.Pat. No. 8,799,090 on Aug. 5, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/725,780, which was filed on Mar. 17, 2010and issued on Jan. 8, 2013 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,352,313, which was acontinuation of U.S. Pat. No. 7,711,601, which was filed on Jul. 11,2001. The entireties of those applications are expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to the field of automated paymentfacilities, such as exit facilities for parking garage or parking lotapplications.

Exit facilities for parking lots and parking garages are well known. Inthe typical exit facility, an exit gate bars egress from the parkingarea until payment has been registered. In a typical parking facility, alive attendant sits within a tollbooth at the exit. The attendantcalculates the value of parking, receives payment and activates the gateto permit a vehicle to pass.

In recent years, automation has reached the exit facility for parkinglots and parking garages. In the automated system, a vehicle operatorpays the cost of a parking validation ticket at a remote site. Theticket itself is encoded to indicate that payment has been received. Thevehicle operator then proceeds to the exit facility where the validatedticket is read and registered. When the appropriate payment signal issensed by the exit equipment, the gate opens allowing egress. Onedifficulty in facilities of this type is that the payment feature isisolated from the exit facility. In a typical situation, live attendantsoccupy adjacent booths to take payment in the likely event that thecommuter fails to validate his/her parking ticket prior to exit. Thus,while this type of automated facility obtains some of the benefits ofthe automation, it still does not completely satisfy or achieve theobjective of a fully automated system. In fact, in a typicalinstallation, more vehicles pass through the operator attendant boothsthan the fully automated booth.

One decided advantage of the live parking attendant is the capability ofhuman interaction. Even in these days of automation, many individualsstill prefer the human touch, particular when one is paying money. Thefully automated systems do not have the capability of providing anyhuman interaction, which often makes these types of systems undesirablein spite of the conveniences that they may otherwise present.

There remains a need for an automated payment facility that combines thebenefits of the human attendant with the benefits of the automatedsystem.

SUMMARY

In order to address these needs, the present invention contemplates anautomated payment facility that permits human interaction with thewalk-up or drive-up customer. In one embodiment, a central monitoringstation is linked to a number of remote facilities, such as exitfacilities at parking lots or garages. Each exit facility includes meansfor assessing and receiving a payment amount. For an exit facility inconnection with a parking lot, this means includes means for assessing apayment amount that can comprise a ticket reader, a processor forcalculating a time duration and associated fee, and a display fordisplaying the fee amount to the customer. The overall means can alsoinclude means for receiving the payment amount, which can furthercomprise a credit/debit card reader and/or cash acceptor, in addition tosoftware within the processor capable of processing the payment. All ofthese components can be of known design and can all operate to controlan exit gate mechanism as is known in the art.

The present invention contemplates the novel addition of means forproviding two-way video and audio communication with the centralmonitoring facility remote from each payment terminal. In the preferredembodiment, this means comprises a digital video camera, a monitor orvideo display and an audio speaker and microphone element at both thepayment terminal and the central monitoring facility. The communicationmeans can be continuously activated, automatically activated when acustomer approaches or access the exit terminal, or on issuance of ahelp request by the customer through the exit terminal. When activated,the communication means provides for two-way human-to-human interactionbetween the customer and a remote live attendant.

In one aspect of the invention, this two-way communication feature canallow the customer to speak directly to a live attendant to at leastverbally address problems that may have been encountered at thefacility. The communication feature can also be used as a security oremergency call capability. In a preferred embodiment, the remoteattendant can access the processor of the remote payment terminal toperform a variety of functions. For instance, the attendant cantroubleshoot components of the exit facility, determine a proper paymentamount, or process payment of the requisite fee. The terminal processorcan also be remotely accessed by the central attendant to directlyactivate the exit facility, such as by raising the exit gate to allowthe customer to exit.

The two-way communication feature allows the customer to remain incontact with the remote attendant until the particular transaction iscomplete. In addition, the feature allows a central monitoring stationto be linked to a plurality of remote terminals, such as parking paymentand exit facilities. The central monitoring station can include a P/Cthat is linked to each remote terminal in a variety of ways. Preferably,the link is established through an ethernet or the internet, or througha direct communication line, including a land-line or a satellite link.

The P/C allows the remote attendant to access any of the linked paymentterminals, either in response to a signal from the terminal itself or atthe attendant's own behest. Thus, a single attendant can be available tocommunicate with several payment terminals, in lieu of the priorapproach of manning a payment booth at each facility. A bank of P/C'sand associated attendants can work from the central monitoring stationto communicate with dozens of remote facilities, providing the humantouch to each facility regardless of the location of the central stationand the remote facilities.

It is one important object of the present invention to provide humaninteraction at a remote terminal, such as a payment terminal at aparking facility. Another object is to maintain this direct humaninteraction with a large number of remote terminals, while minimizingthe manpower requirements for providing this service.

One clear benefit achieved by the present invention is that a customerat a remote facility can readily reach a human to help address problemsoccurring at the facility. Another benefit is that a remote attendant ata central station can monitor and control the remote facility asrequired.

These and other objects and benefits will become apparent uponconsideration of the following written description and accompanyingfigures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side diagrammatic representation of an exit facility inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the components of the exit facility shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the components of a universally monitoredand administered array of exit facilities.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended. The inventions includes any alterationsand further modifications in the illustrated devices and describedmethods and further applications of the principles of the inventionwhich would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which theinvention relates.

The present invention contemplates integrating video conferencingcapabilities with an automated payment terminal. The followingdescription of the preferred embodiment envisions use of the inventionas part of a parking facility. However, it should be understood thatother applications of the inventive concepts disclosed herein arecontemplated beyond the illustrated embodiment.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an exitfacility 10, for a parking garage for example, includes a gate mechanism11 that restricts egress from the parking structure. A payment terminal20 is provided that controls the operation of the gate mechanism 11. Thepayment terminal 20 can remain generally dormant until a vehicle arrivesat the exit facility 10. In other words, the electrically poweredcomponents of the terminal 20 can be retained in a standby condition ora reduced power condition until the terminal 20 is fully activated. Thisactivation can occur by a pressure switch adjacent the terminal 20, asensing eye, or by operator interaction with the terminal itself.

In one feature of the preferred embodiment, the payment terminal 20includes a series of sequential instruction displays 22, 23 and 24.Preferably, each display is back-lighted or illuminated to be readilyvisible by the driver. In additions most preferably each of the displays22-24 is illuminated in sequence to indicate the next step to beperformed in the payment process.

In the instance in which the payment terminal 20 is activated by thepresence of the vehicle, the first display 22 can be illuminated toidentify the location in which the vehicle operator inserts the parkingticket. Specifically, the ticket is inserted into a ticket reader 28.The ticket can be of any conventional type, such as hollerith,scan-stripped or bar-coded, and the reader can be of a known typecapable of reading the particular ticket. The payment terminal 20includes a microprocessor 65 (see FIG. 2) that registers the ticketinserted into the reader 28 and determines the duration at the parkingfacility and the required fee. It also is envisioned that the ticketreader 28 and the associated software can identify prepaid tickets, userpasses, discount cards and other indicia on the ticket to identify aparticular payment regime. In some instances, such as in the case of aparking pass, the central processor 65 can be configured to identify theticket inserted into the reader 28 as providing automatic egress, inwhich instance, the processor 65 provides a instruction on the gatesignal line 68 to raise the gate mechanism 11.

However, in the typical instance, the processor 65 will undertake acalculation to determine the requisite fee. At that point, the display22 is turned off, and the next display 23 is illuminated. This displayidentifies the location for payment by the vehicle operator. Therequired payment amount is shown in the fee display 30, which is againcontrolled by the central processor 65 in a known manner. In accordancewith the most preferred embodiment, two general payment approaches arepermitted. In the first, a credit card reader 32 can scan a credit card,debit card, prepaid value card or a validation coupon (such as avalidated parking ticket). In the second, a cash acceptor 33 acceptsconventional bills. A coin acceptance unit can also be incorporated as apayment vehicle. In the event that a credit or debit card is insertedinto the reader 32, the central processor 65 can activate known softwarewhich performs the necessary credit check to evaluate the validity andcredit worthiness of the card to determine whether payment can beaccepted through this means. If the card is “rejected”, the reader 32operates to eject the card. The fee display 30 can be altered to providean additional display indicating that the credit card payment method hasbeen rejected, thereby requiring a cash payment.

Once an appropriate amount of cash payment has been inserted into thecash acceptor 33, or an appropriate credit card 32 has been evaluated bythe reader 32, the display 23 is de-energized, and the next display 24is illuminated. This display identifies the location of the receiptprinter 35 in which a paper receipt is produced for the vehicle driver.In addition, if cash is provided at the acceptor 33, the centralprocessor 65 determines whether the inserted cash exceeds the requisitepayment amount. In this instance, appropriate change is dispensedthrough the change dispenser 36.

As thus far described the payment terminal 20 parallels many known “payon foot” stations, or fully automated payment stations. In accordancewith an important feature of the present invention, the payment terminal20 includes what amounts to a video conferencing capability.Specifically, the terminal 20 includes a digital video camera 40, amonitor or video display 42 and communication speakers/microphones 43and 44. As described in more detail herein, the payment terminal 20 isremotely connected to a workstation occupied by a human. A video cameratransmits an image of the attendant to the payment terminal 20 fordisplay on the monitor 42. Likewise, two-way communication between theattendant and the driver is facilitated by the speakers/microphones 43and 44. The video camera 40 transmits an image of the person at thepayment terminal to provide the live attendant with commensurate humaninteraction.

In one embodiment, the video and audio interaction features of thepayment terminal 20 are constantly activated, or at a minimum activatedwhen the payment terminal 20 is activated. Alternatively, the videoconferencing capabilities can be accessed through the help button 38.The terminal 20 can include an easily and clearly identified help button38 that can be depressed to send a signal from the payment terminal 20to the remote monitoring station. Depressing the help button 38 canautomatically activate the video conferencing equipment, namely, thecamera 40, the display 42 and the speaker/microphones 43, 44.Alternatively, the attendant can remotely energize the videoconferencing equipment, once from the payment terminal 20.

When the video conferencing component of the payment terminal 20 isactivated, the consumer, such as a vehicle driver, can directly interactwith the remote-based attendant. At this point, the driver can identifyspecific problems that are being encountered, such as the ticket reader28 is failing to read the parking ticket, the cash acceptor 33 is notaccepting the cash, the credit card reader is rejecting the credit/debitcard, no receipt has been generated, or no change has been received.Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, the activation of the videoconferencing can be used as a safety or alert feature.

The attendant can have a varying range of control over the components ofthe payment terminal and can remotely access the central processor 65 ofthe payment terminal 20. For instance, the remote attendant can executea diagnostic routine that determines whether any of the electronic ormechanical components of the terminal has malfunctioned. The liveattendant can help resolve credit/debit card issues. In case of afailure of the ticket reader, the attendant can verbally receive thelength of time that the vehicle has been parked directly from thevehicle operator (of course, relying upon the “honor system” in thisregard). The remote attendant can remotely calculate the appropriate feeand can activate the fee display and associated software within thecentral processor 65. Finally, but not exclusively, the remote operatorcan initiate a signal on the gate signal line 68 to open the gatemechanism 11 depending upon the outcome of the video conferencing.

In order to accomplish this human interaction through video conferencingthe payment terminal 20 includes a remote processor unit 50. The remoteprocessor 50 is preferably a pc-based system with some limited computingpower and limited memory. Most significantly, the remote processing unit50 is provided with some means for communicating with a remote-basedattendant.

In the preferred embodiment, the remote processor unit 50 includes aninput control module 54 that communicates with the ticket reader 28,credit card reader 32 and cash acceptor 33. The input control module 54can provide two-way communication with each of the various readers toreceive digital signals indicative of data contained on the ticket andsend control signals to the reader/acceptor electronics. The inputcontrol model 54 can communicate with a fee calculation module 56 whichcan calculate the appropriate parking fee based on validation of theparking ticket through the reader 28, and then ultimately determinewhether the fee has been paid. The fee calculation module 56 can alsodetermine whether the fee has been overpaid by payment through the cashacceptor 33 and determine the amount of change to be dispensed throughthe change dispenser 36. The fee calculation module 56 communicates withthe central processor 65, which can then appropriately control othercomponents of the terminal 20.

The remote processor unit 50 also includes a display control module 58,which is connected to the sequential displays 22-24. The display controlmodule 58 can include a switching network to turn on and off theillumination for each of the displays, based upon signals received fromthe central processor 65.

A communication control module 60 is provided to accomplish the videoconferencing features. This module is connected to the video camera 40,the monitor/video display 42 and the speaker/microphones 43, 44. Thedisplay control module 58 also communicates with and is controlled bythe central processor 65 to transmit and receive audio and videosignals.

The remote processor unit 50 also includes an output control module 62that controls the display on the fee display 30, the generation of areceipt through the receipt printer 35, and the discharge of changethrough change dispenser 36. Again, the output control module 62 iscontrolled by signals from the central processor 65. Moreover, thecentral processor 65 provides a signal on gate signal line 68 to thegate mechanism in 11 instructing the mechanism to raise or lower as afunction of the activity occurring at the payment terminal 20.

It is understood that each of the basic modules can be readilyimplemented in hardware, electronics and software or a combinationthereof, which is all within the skill of the ordinary artisan in thisfield. Preferably, as indicated above, the remote processor unit 50 is apersonal computer, which can then include a number of software routinesto perform the various modular functions. In addition, the processorunit 50 can include a memory 66 associated with the central processor65. This memory can be continuously accessed by the central processor 65to obtain pricing information. In addition, the memory 66 can storeinformation from each payment transaction. This data can then bedownloaded through the payment terminal 20, or more preferablyperiodically transmitted to a remote monitoring station for evaluation.The data stored within the memory and/or transmitted to the centralmonitoring station can include the number of vehicles passing throughthe exit facility 10, the average stay of a particular vehicle in thefacility, the number of malfunctions or errors occurring, and otherinformation indicative of the performance of the payment terminal 20.

In order to effect the communication from the payment terminal 20 to aremote monitoring facility 75, the remote processor 50 also includes acommunication module 70 that can provide immediate and directcommunication through a data link 71, as depicted in FIG. 3. In oneembodiment, the communication module can be a hard-wired link to aremote location. For instance, in a building that includes a parkingfacility, the remote monitoring personnel can be the building attendant.

However, most preferably, the datalink 71 is accomplished through aninternet or ethernet connection. In this instance, the communicationmodule 70 can include a modem capable of making a remote 75 or dial-upconnection. Thus, a remote or central monitoring station can be locatedvirtually any place in the world and still provide the videoconferencing and human interaction features of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 3, a number of communication modules70.sub.a-70.sub.zz, corresponding to a like member of widely dispersedpayment terminals, are shown linked to a central monitoring station 75.The monitoring station includes its own communication module 77 that canadminister the flow of data from each of the independent and remotepayment terminals to and from remote station. For instance, the module77 can include a communication modem and software to avoid conflicts anddata crashing.

The central monitoring station 75 can include a personal computer 79with a video display, a video camera 80, and a speaker/microphone system81, all similar to the like components found on the payment terminal 20.Thus, the video camera transmits an image of the human attendant at theremote monitoring station 75, while the speaker/microphone accomplishestwo-way communication. The remote attendant can perform the variousmonitoring and communication functions described above through the PC79.

In a most preferred embodiment, the PC 79 includes software that permitsmultiple displays on the pc monitor as audio/video data is received fromindividual ones of the payment terminals 20. Alternatively, the displayseen by the remote attendant can be scrolled from payment terminal topayment terminal. Of course, if the attendant were working with a driverat one payment terminal, request from help from another payment terminalwould ordinarily be delayed. Most preferably, the central monitoringstation can include a number attendants, each jointly monitoring all ofthe remote payment terminals affiliated with that monitoring station theinstance where multiple help requests are incoming to the monitoringstation 75, the requests can be conveyed to successively availableattendants.

The local monitoring/video display 42 at the payment terminal 20 canreceive and display other images when not being used to communicate withthe remote station. For instance, the monitor can displayadvertisements, or describe events occurring in the city, provideweather or traffic information, or virtually any kind of informationthat is desired. The same ethernet or internet link can be used toprovide a wide range of video display when the attendant is busy or whenan attendant is not required.

In the preferred illustrated embodiment, the inventive payment facilityfinds great utility in connection with a vehicle parking facility. Thesame inventive concepts can be used with “pay-on-foot” stations,street-side parking meters, entry facilities such as for a building,museum, exhibit or concert, and the like. The video conferencingcapability not only adds a human touch, it also provides access to adecision-marker who can field questions and provide immediate solutions.

In the most preferred embodiment, the payment facilities are linked tothe central monitoring facility using an internet-type connection. Eachpayment facility, or at a minimum each video camera, can be ipaddressable. Similar technology is incorporated into videoware providedby cuseeme networks, inc., which videoware could be readily adapted foruse with the present inventive system.

Each payment facility can include its own payment processing capability,as described above. An independent dial-up type connection can beprovided as is known in the art. Alternatively, credit/debit cardpayments can be processed through the central facility.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character. It should be understoodthat only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described andthat all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of theinvention are desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of operating an automated paymentsystem for a parking facility, the automated payment system comprisingan exit gate operable to control egress from the parking facility, apayment terminal positioned at a remote location from the exit gate inthe parking facility, the payment terminal including (i) a ticket readerthat receives a parking ticket, (ii) a microprocessor programmed todetermine a required payment amount based on the parking ticket, and(iii) a payment acceptor that receives the required payment amount, anda two-way video and audio communication system positioned at the remotelocation, the method comprising: activating the two-way video and audiocommunication system to enable two-way video and audio communicationbetween a customer at the remote location and a live attendant at amonitoring facility remote from the remote location, validating aparking ticket at the payment terminal positioned at the remotelocation, inserting the validated parking ticket at the exit gate of theparking facility, and operating the exit gate after receiving thevalidated parking ticket to permit egress from the parking facility. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein validating the parking ticket includesoperating the payment terminal from the monitoring facility to remotelyvalidate the parking ticket.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinvalidating the parking ticket includes receiving cash in the paymentterminal.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the parkingticket includes receiving a credit card in the payment terminal.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein activating the two-way video and audiocommunication system includes transmitting data via an Internet link. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the payment terminal includes a videodisplay, a speaker, a video camera, and a microphone of the two-wayvideo and audio communication system.